PPE


Even with hearing conservation programs in place, there are still numerous recordable hearing loss events.

Is 85/3 In the Cards?

An overwhelming body of documented evidence suggests that the current PEL should be lowered to 85 dBA and the exchange rate be lowered to 3 dB.

Huge bales of fiber—from 400 to 700 pounds each, depending on the fiber—are delivered to a yarn plant for processing. (TenCate Protective Fabrics photo)

Inherent vs Treated: The Building Blocks of Flame-Resistant Fabrics Matter

Whether purchased by individuals, supplied by the company, or leased through a laundry service, FR clothing arrives for wear.

Newer styles offer multiple adjustment points, allowing the wearer to fine-tune hat height as well as make front, lateral, and rear adjustments for a truly personalized fit. (Honeywell Industrial Safety photo)

How to Select a Hard Hat to Fit Everyone's Comfort Zone

Recent research and design innovations coupled with advances in materials are paving the way for a new era of head protection.

The cost of hearing protection on any given day in 2016 is far less expensive than hearing aids later on, in both in dollars and sense.

Take the Pledge to Protect Your Hearing in 2016

Even as hearing protection has improved in basic terms, such as weight, comfort, fit, and protection, we are seeing the introduction of more and more features.

Construction Company Cited for Fall Exposures

OSHA announced it has cited Burkholder Builders and fined the Pennsylvania company $64,400.

Building Safety Fines Quadrupled in NYC

The penalty for serious safety lapses is rising to $10,000 and the penalty for lacking a construction superintendent to a maximum of $25,000. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler also announced an enforcement blitz will target 1,500 sites in the next 90 days.

Three Workers Suffer Serious Injuries at Schwan Facility: OSHA

Schwan’s Global Supply Chain has been fined $172K by OSHA.

NIOSH Study Shows Scope of Illness Tied to Two Common Herbicides

Although most of the illnesses related to paraquat and diquat were low to moderately severe—health effects commonly included skin, eye, or neurological symptoms—these two herbicides make up 85 percent of herbicide-related deaths in the United States.



Foot Injury Results in Citations

The Pennsylvania company notified OSHA last August that an employee suffered a double toe amputation when he lost control of a lawn mower he was operating on a wet, grassy slope; this happened less than three months after OSHA investigated another rollover incident in which an employee sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized, according to the agency.

NIOSH Study Pinpoints Industries with Hearing Problems

NIOSH reports that hazardous noise affects approximately 22 million U.S. workers. This study is the first to report prevalence estimates for tinnitus by U.S. industry sector and occupation and provide these estimates side by side with prevalence estimates of hearing difficulty, according to the agency.

Three things workers and safety managers should do to prevent injuries are to know the eye safety hazards at work by completing a hazard assessment, eliminating the hazards through engineering controls before starting work, and wearing appropriate vision protection.

Keys to Preventing Eye Injuries

Prevent Blindness America reports that 90 percent of the more than 2,000 eye injuries occurring each day are preventable through the use of protective safety eyewear.

Hand washing alone is not enough. To keep hands strong and healthy, employees should use protect and restore creams before and after working.

Help Protect Hard-Working Hands from Occupational Skin Disorders

Just one case of occupational dermatitis can cost an employer approximately $3,500 in workers' compensation claims and an average disability of 23.9 days, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

NFPA 70E-2015 specifically defines ear canal inserts (ear plugs) as the required protection in all arc flash zones.

Get Acquainted With EU Safety Glove Standards

The classification of a glove in a particular test is usually defined as one of a series of performance levels. It is left to the user, following a suitable risk assessment exercise, to select a glove with a suitable profile.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, an ESLI allows cartridge change-outs to occur based on each employee’s individual work hours, exposure levels, and breathing rates while also factoring in different environmental conditions. (3M Personal Safety Division photo)

Common Questions Safety Managers Ask About Using ESLIs for Organic Vapors

End-of-service-life indicators have the potential to help organizations minimize lost time, reduce workers' compensation costs, and help save on equipment costs.

OSHA Cites Plastics Manufacturer After Severe Worker Injuries

Two employees suffered debilitating hand injuries, according to the agency.

OSHA: Serial Violator Exposes Employees to Fall Hazards

High & Dry Roofing faces $152,460 in proposed penalties from OSHA and now is in the agency's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

Ankle guards should be another box to put on the checklist when choosing appropriate footwear. (D30® photo)

Footwear That Goes the Extra Mile

Assessing the credibility of a brand is just as important as looking at the durability of the product.

Having the right percentage mix and orientation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic within an FR fabric, combined with engineered breathability, is both the art and the science used to create high-performance next-to-skin clothing. (Polartec photo)

Comfort is the Key to FR Clothing Compliance

Employees should look professional in their work uniforms with clothing choices that offer the trifecta of good fit, good function, and that offer modern fashion so workers want to wear their FR clothing.

In the protective toe footwear industry, there are several delivery models to choose from. The most common are utilizing a local store, web ordering, and shoemobile.

If the Shoe Fits . . . .

Footwear certified as meeting ASTM F2413-11 must first meet the requirements of impact resistance and compression resistance. Then the requirements of additional sections can be met.

What matters most to the end user is the final product

Informed Workers Are Safer Workers: Science Is the Key to FR Technology

End users and wearers of flame-resistant garments should research FR fabrics and manufacturers to make sure they specify those fabrics from reputable suppliers that will meet their unique needs.

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